The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1887-08-12
NAVAJO" NARRATES
HIS TRAVELS TO THE WILD WEST,
And After Describing the Route in Glow
ing Terms, Refers to His New Home
as q "God-forsaken Country"
FORT DEFIANCE, A. T.,
July 9th. 1887.

I, on grasping my pen at irregular inter
walls between my hours of duty, realize
and greatly deplore my inadequacy to
the task. However arduous it may seem,
/ will endeayor to give, as succinctly as
possible, a description of some of the
most interesting features connected with
my travel in reaching this God-forsaken
country, hoping at the time that your
kind readers will be as forbearing as pos
sible, should grapple with the uninter-
esting minutia Of detail, for this may be
necessary in order for one not aceustom-
ed to Journalism to reach the point in
tended, especially in giving a story of
the route through strange country.
Leaving aside the sightseeing, &C., of
a day and night in Cincinnati, as we'll as
a day in st. Louis and twenty-four hours
in the future metropolis of the West
Kansas City-let me carry you with
lightning speed and closed eyes over the
fertile plains of Kansas and Colorado.
Omitting to mention the many things of
great interest on the route, but concern
ing which most Of your readers have
long since read, and many Of them per-
sonally enjoyed the detectives, will set
you down, if you please, in the famous
commercial city of Pueblo. This city is
one of unusual interest, standing as it
does upon the site of Mexican pueblo
of long ago, divided into Pueblo proper,
and South Pueblo by the Arkansas River.
Its population, / believe, numbers
about $4,000, although one at a glance
would estimate the population at not
more than 5000 to 5000, as many of
the inhabitants are occupying the mines
which are numerous around and near the
city. The most important objective
points here are the Bessemer Steel Works,
among the largest in America, and the
smelters, which are in operation reducing
the ore that is brought in from every
direction in incXhauStable quantities.
The city is we'll supplied with what
the people in this country denOminate
good hotels, but on reflection, after hav-
ing been detained there for three days
and did not strip without paying my hO-
tel fare, allow me to say that the Pueblo
visitors ought to be Goulds, Vanderbuilts
and Rothchilds.
Outside of the extensive silver and
gold mines, the place of interest around
Pueblo are the Parnassus Springs at the
foot hills of the Greenhorn mountains,
Carlisle Springs on the Arkansas, and
Clark's Magnetic Mineral Springs, which
has recently been opened up with all the
modern improvements and bids fair to
become n famous watering place. One
peculiarly which is remarkable about
the latter is that knives and other metals
become magnetized by immersing them
in the water. Another object of interest
is a section of n tree called the "Old
Monarch" erected on a frame in front
of the Union depot, occupying place
where the tourists eye always catches
on, and usually is attracted to the spot
where the following inscription meets
his gaze: "The Old Monarch, aged $50
wears. circumference Is feet, height rs
feet. Cut down June 2jth, 1868, at
cost of $3.50" 1t is known rs the Oldest
land mark during the Pixies Peak ex-
element. Thirty-six persons were mas
sacred under its braches by the Indians.
Kit Carson, Wild Bill and Buffalo Bill
camped under it many times. Fourteen
men were hung on one limb Of the tree.
The first woman who died i'll California
was buried under it.
Leaving aside the story of the route
of the Denver and Rio Grande from
Pueblo westward over the main trunk
line, which would be full Of incidents
and glowing with description, reading
like n romance and sounding in the sym
phony Of color, and including every
variety of form where the mountain
SUBMITS covered with snow greet ones
eyes upon every side as innumerable as
the multitudinOus foam-capped pillows Of
the sea. Arcadian valleys whose quiet
beauty entrances the beholder abound
Tremendous gorges of profound and
awe inspiring depth are traversed. Noun
tain torrents flash in the sunlight, and
pellucid streams flow peacefully through
the valleys In short, as one has de-
scribed and remarked, "here among the
everlasting hills these Rocky mountains,
fit to be the bulwarks Of the world, ma
ture has mood for every mood of man"
We proceed over the New Mexico extern
sion of the road which carries one TO the
historic city of Santafeo. After leaving
Pueblo this scenic route goes through
most interesting past Of the Rocky Range.
One passes through the famed Layeta
Pass and rounds the Mule Shoe curve,
the shortest curve and steepest grade in
the world. After once gaining the sum
NIT one gazes on scene OF stnpenduOus
magnihcencs. For twenty-one miles
through most devious ways, around sharp
est curves, up steepest grades, one has
presse onward uptila historic height IL